I've built my business primarily through buyer representation — by empowering clients, through providing well-researched information, to make intelligent well-informed decisions. I provide access to Sonoma County market data and to property specific background information as well as access to properties that likely matches your criteria, so that you can familiarize yourself with current market conditions. When you find a property that looks promising, I provide pricing advice based on recent sales of similar properties, so you can make an objective evaluation of what to offer.

Selection of a home is a lifestyle choice, not just a square foot commodity purchase. So a right choice typically requires more consideration than "how much house can it I get for what I have to spend?" Many more questions need asking: How many hours per week am I willing to devote to commuting? How much money and time would I like to have left after paying my mortgage to spend on hobbies or other activities? Do I want to garden? Or should I put a gardener in my budget? Perhaps a 'let it grow wild' yard would be the best choice for me. Do I want to bike to work? Do I want to walk, and where, and why — to shopping, for exercise, as mediation, or just to get the dog out of the house? Does school district matter? Questions such as these should be answered before making a real estate investment.

What does HOME mean to you? Should it function as an art studio, an office, or a gym? Should it serve as a tribute to your financial success? Do you need a media, music, crafts, or sewing room? Would you like to have an additional in-law, au pair, or granny unit? And for what purpose — as an actual dwelling for granny with no stairs or do you want a second unit just for rental income? How important is privacy? Do you want to be part of a close knit neighborhood or do you want minimal interaction with the neighbors? Is this just a stepping stone to something bigger and better in the future or do you want a place that will be adaptable and serve your needs indefinitely?

Are you new to Sonoma County? Need some help determining which areas might suit you best? I've lived in Sonoma County since 1972 and know it well — from Oakmont to Occidental, Petaluma to Healdsburg. I would be glad to put together a get-to-know-Sonoma-County tour just for you — to introduce you to our various communities and neighborhoods, so that you can identify those that might best match your criteria. Then we can focus your search accordingly. But selecting an area or property type is just a beginning, please review The Purchase Process to learn more about the support and assistance I offer from start to finish.

Want to confine your search to the internet for now? You can go to MLS Search and retrieve the listings of all real estate brokers belonging to the Sonoma County Multiple Listing Service — which is essentially all property listed with a real estate agent anywhere in Sonoma County.

If you've looked at other search sites you will find this one unique — in that it is formatted to include AREA. This search criteria is commonly used by agents, but is not typically offered to the public because it requires familiarity with the AREA boundaries to be useful. But it is particularly helpful if you are looking for a country property or if you don't know the zip codes associate with your areas of interest. To use this method effectively you'll need to first review Using AREA and also familiarize yourself with the Area Boundaries parameters.

Defining search criteria to be sufficiently inclusive, yet not too broad, can be challenging. I you'd like my assistance to create a search that accurately reflects you preferences — even if you're just beginning to think about what you might like and prefer to keep exploring on your own for now — I'd be happy to help and to have the opportunity for you to get to know me in person a bit.

I can also create a personalized search that will automatically send updates directly to you whenever a new listing or a change in an existing listing matching your saved search occurs. Using this method — which is a client search format designed specifically for agent use — I can refine a search in much greater detail. I can limit results by such criteria as: just properties being sold by the lender following a foreclosure, properties being sold as short sales, only properties with two units, only properties with a pool, only properties without a pool, single level homes only, only properties of 5 acres or more with horse facilities — the possibilities are almost endless using the full spectrum of MLS data as criterion.

Whatever you're shopping for — A green getaway with absolute privacy, a classic tract style home but with exceptional views, a condo with just enough outdoor area to grow a few tomato plants, or a country estate with a pool — I look forward to the challenge and reward of serving you.